US: President George Bush welcomed the North Korean statement as "a promising step", while adding that the international community must ensure Pyongyang keeps its word.
"Five nations, in working with North Korea, have come up with a formula which we all hope works. Five nations have spoken and said it is not in the world's interest that North Korea have a nuclear weapon. And now there's a way forward. And part of the way forward is for the North Koreans to understand that we're serious about this, and that we expect there to be a verifiable process," he said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said full implementation of the agreement by North Koreans means "dismantling their nuclear programmes and allowing for verification . . . "